A rhetorical question is a figure of speech that represents a question to which the answer is known in advance, or a question to which an answer is not required because it is extremely obvious in advance. In other words, we can say that a rhetorical question is a statement expressed in interrogative form.
The peculiarity of such phrases is convention, that is, the use grammatical form and the intonation of the question in sentences where this is essentially not required, due to which the phrase in which these phrases are used acquires a particularly emphasized connotation, enhancing its expressiveness.
in examples:
- “And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?” N.V. Gogol
- “And what is a knight without luck?” D'Artagnan
- “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain
- "To be or not to be?" Hamlet
- "What to do?" Chernyshevsky
- “Well, when will Friday come?” Folk
- “Why is the boss a fool?” Folk
- “Why did I drink yesterday?” Folk
So why is the question called rhetorical? In fact, everything is very simple. Oratory has been popular since ancient times. Even the ancient Greeks mastered the art of speech, calling this science rhetoric (ancient Greek ῥητωρική - “ oratory"from ῥήτωρ - “speaker”).
Similar figures of speech that enhance its expressiveness are rhetorical exclamation and rhetorical appeal. Ancient orators viewed rhetorical figures as certain deviations of speech from the natural norm, “ordinary and simple form,” a kind of artificial decoration. The modern vision, on the contrary, proceeds rather from the fact that figures are natural and an integral part of human speech.
It was in debates that names were invented for various figures of speech, including rhetorical figures. After all, we already use them in Everyday life without even knowing what they are called correctly.
The most effective remedy conveying ideas to the audience - involving them in dialogue. Many oratorical means have been invented for this, but each of them is good for its own situation. Anyone who decides to speak in public should know what a rhetorical question means and how to ask it correctly.
Figures of speech and rhetoric
Without the use of beautiful and figurative speech patterns, the narrative looks “empty” and difficult to understand. To add color to your uncontrollable flow of thoughts, you can use tricks known to the ancient Greeks:
- Changing the order of words in a sentence, characteristic of a given language;
- Contrasting one thought with another;
- Using a similar composition at the beginning or end of several sentences. A peculiar grammatical refrain;
- Hierarchical arrangement of words in a sentence as they become stronger lexical meaning sign;
- Deliberate omission of a required word;
- Separating words in a sentence with periods;
- The use of words with similar or, conversely, opposite meanings;
- Own linguistic inventions;
- The use of incompatible definitions in one context;
- Figurative “revival” of an inanimate object;
- Deliberate exaggeration or understatement (most often used in satire);
- Asking questions that don't need to be answered.
Definition of figures of speech
A rhetorical question is one that is essentially a statement and does not require a response from the interlocutor. From a grammatical point of view, there is a contrast between the interrogative form and the narrative meaning of the construction.
Using this figure speech in his text, the author implies that the answer is too simple and obvious to answer. Or, conversely, that it is too complex and cannot have a monosyllabic solution. This achieves the conveyance of the writer’s mood and imparts an emotional coloring to the narrative.
This figure is most often used in the following areas:
- Prose and poetry;
- Journalism;
- Texts on social issues;
- Speeches by politicians.
How to understand a rhetorical question?
It is not so rare to encounter a situation when the listener cannot understand the essence of the speaker’s verbal acrobatics.
To resolve misunderstandings, you can use the following tips:
- Emphasize on context. He is the one who plays crucial to understand the meaning of the phrase. If a sentence has been taken out of any literary work, you need to familiarize yourself with its contents. You also need to make allowances for the era in which the writer or politician lived. Social injustice was often the target of attacks by wordsmiths;
- Try to turn the meaning of the phrase inside out. One of the goals of statements formulated in interrogative form is to turn the usual situation 180 degrees. For example: “Are we slaves?” (“We are not slaves.”);
- A significant part of rhetorical questions and exclamations have long become vivid catchphrases. Therefore, to clarify their meaning, you can refer to the dictionary of phraseological units and idioms. There you can get help not only regarding the meaning of the sentence, but also etymological data.
Is it possible to end an essay with a rhetorical question?
Conclusion for school essay is one of essential elements his compositions. It draws a line under the student’s work and is the logical conclusion of his reasoning on the problem in the work. Just like the introductory part, the conclusion should not be divorced from the flow of the main text of the work.
Basic rules for good completion essays:
- The number of sentences in the last paragraph should not be more than 5-6, in otherwise perception of information will be difficult;
- Ask yourself a question: is it worth agreeing with the author’s position. Conditionally split original text on theses and think about which of them are worth supporting and which are not;
- If a student does not agree with the original text on almost all points, then it is worth restraining yourself from rabid and emotional criticism. Any statement must be supported by reasonable arguments;
- You should try to make the ending as positive as possible;
- There is no point in repeating ideas already presented in the essay.
One of the most effective ways to put an end to work is a rhetorical question. He can challenge an imaginary opponent to an argument and summarize the judgment in the best possible way. It’s even better if the figure is a classic aphorism related to the problems of the text.
Rhetorical question: examples
- Interrogative-rhetorical. Their main purpose is an expressive assessment of what is happening. Thus, a person conveys his individual and emotional attitude to the subject of conversation ( “How did I forget to put money on my phone?” );
- Incentive. In essence, they have a command and imperative purpose, but have an abstract formulation ( “When will you finally stop doing this?” );
- Negative. Despite their name, they are deprived negative particle"Not". By using this figure, the impossibility of any event or phenomenon is indicated. For example, William Shakespeare wrote: “Here was Caesar: will you wait for another?” (i.e. there will never be a person with such qualities);
- Affirmative. Unlike the previous type, on the contrary, they are intended to strengthen the affirmative message of what was said ( “How can you not love the ocean?” ).
In a sarcastic context, the original meaning literary devices may shift slightly. A question that is negative in form can acquire positive value, and vice versa. For example: “The police are demanding bribes again. Who would have thought?".
Wording rules
Let's consider the basic rules of use this technique in the field":
- Analyze all possible facts, which may be related to the problem;
- Explore your own and others’ feelings towards a specific situation;
- Decide what exactly an ordinary person wants or should want;
- Consider obstacles and obstacles on the way to what you want;
- How much time is needed to implement the plan;
- The tools needed to move towards the goal.
Rhetorical questions should be constructed as multiple as possible, but at the same time the semantic load should be high. They can be asked both at the beginning of a speech (to bring the audience out of a state of rest) and at the end (to summarize what was said). Positive reaction listeners to a correctly formulated construction looks like thoughtful silence.
How can you not know what a rhetorical question means? After all, this is not only part school curriculum, but also a whole layer of culture. "To be or not to be?" Shakespeare, "What is to be done?" Chernyshevsky, “Who are the judges?” Griboyedov - all these statements do not require an answer, since they in themselves force millions of people to think about pressing problems.
Video about rhetorical figures
In this video, philologist Georgy Kadetov will talk about rhetorical figures and questions, syntactic strategies:
Often in the oratory and artistic speech expressive techniques are used to attract the listener’s attention and emphasize speech. These are both structural and semantic accents, and intonation features, and syntactic. One of the most common expressive means is a rhetorical question.
Definition.
A rhetorical question is an interrogative sentence construction that conveys a certain message in the same way as a narrative sentence. That is, it does not require an answer to the question posed.
In a rhetorical question there is a certain contradiction between the given syntactic form– the actual interrogative structure – and the meaning, content.
The message that contains a rhetorical question is associated with the desire to express certain emotions and mood, set a specific tone. A rhetorical question implies a ready-made answer that is understandable to the reader/listener.
Rhetorical questions are used in:
- literary texts: poetic and prose,
- journalism and media,
- oratory.
Usually there is a protest embedded in a rhetorical question. For example, Alexander Griboyedov in “Woe from Wit” asks the question: “Who are the judges?” – the answer to which involves denying the right of those around the protagonist to judge his actions.
Examples of rhetorical questions.
In texts and speeches, questions with:
- pronominal question word (“And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?” – Nikolay Gogol),
- interrogative particle, no special question words(“I’m writing to you - what more? What else can I say?” - Alexander Pushkin).
Typically, at the end of a rhetorical question in writing, question mark, less often - exclamation:
- Vladimir Mayakovsky: “Where, when, which great one chose the path to be more trodden and easier?”
- Alexander Pushkin: “Whoever cursed stationmasters, who hasn’t scolded them!”
It is possible to place a double sign.
The role of rhetorical questions in the poem “Evening Reflection.”
What does it mean when a rhetorical question appears in a text? It involves the work of the reader's thoughts. Thus, literary scholars note the serious role of the use of a rhetorical question in Mikhail Lomonosov’s poem “Evening Reflection”:
“But where, nature, is your law?” – the answer is assumed to be that it does not exist.
“The dawn rises from the midnight lands!
Isn’t it the sun who sets his throne there?” – the sun always rises in the morning and this is obvious, no answer is required.
“How can it be that frozen steam
Did a fire start in the middle of winter? – it is assumed that this cannot happen.
“Is ignorance of the creatures the end for you?
Tell me, how great is the creator?” – here one can see the ideology of deism inherent in Lomonosov.
What is a rhetorical question? A rhetorical question seems to be a question only at first glance, essentially representing an unambiguous statement, clothed in interrogative form. Such a question does not imply an answer - as a rule, the answer is contained in the question itself. Also, the answer may be contained in the continuation of the statement, or it may be obviously obvious.
It would seem, why are such useless questions needed? The rhetorical question has this name for a reason. What is rhetoric?
- Rhetoric - ancient art, designed to make speech expressive, bright, and convincing.
- The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is the first major theorist of rhetoric.
- Famous and talented actors, politicians, journalists - consummate masters rhetoric.
- Knowledge rhetorical devices and secrets allows the speaker without special effort convince the listener that you are right.
What is a rhetorical question in Russian?
- In Russian the functions interrogative constructions go beyond their intended purpose.
- A question mark at the end of a sentence does not always mean that we are faced with an ordinary question.
- Interrogative intonations can give additional expression to a statement, enliven it with emotions, and actualize the problem posed in the statement.
- Without being a question in its essence, a rhetorical question emphasizes the emotional coloring of a sentence, with the goal of not leaving the reader or listener indifferent.
- Similar language techniques are called “rhetorical figure” or “figure of speech”. Rhetorical figures are widely used both in literary texts and in everyday speech.
Remember how to correctly parse a word as a part of speech, and our article will help with this.How to pass the exam if you don't know anything? The answer is in our article.
What is a rhetorical question: examples
In the works of Russian classics, examples of rhetorical questions are presented quite widely. Here are the most famous of them.
- “Oh Volga!.. my cradle! Has anyone ever loved you like I do?” (N.A. Nekrasov).
- Who are the judges? (A.S. Griboyedov).
- “And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?” (N.V. Gogol).
- “Was there a boy?” (Maksim Gorky).
By carefully re-reading the article, you can also find examples of rhetorical questions.
Knowledge and skillful use of basic techniques oratory skills will make your speech richer and more expressive. When applying oratory in practice, also do not forget about literacy and a sense of proportion.
What is a rhetorical question? Everyone already understands it. Now you have read the simplest example on the topic rhetorical figures speeches in Russian. In its meaning, a rhetorical question is not a question, but a statement. It can express the heightened emotional background of the statement or relate to information that is well known and widely disseminated. In both cases, the rhetorical question does not require an answer and is conditional.
The definition of rhetorical questions can be found in Dahl's dictionary, in the encyclopedia of the Russian language, published under the editorship of Yu.N. Karaulova, on Wikipedia (based on the above-mentioned sources and articles by philological researchers). All interpretations are consistent with each other and speak of the affirmative meaning of rhetorical questions.
In addition to rhetorical questions, there are rhetorical statements - narrative expressions, at the end of which, when writing or in oral speech delivered Exclamation point. This turn of phrase serves to enhance expressiveness in the same way as a rhetorical question. An appeal can also be rhetorical, which in this case also does not require a response and is of a conditional or symbolic nature. All rhetorical sentences are figures of speech - turns of phrase that aim to express expressiveness, give the statement more power and persuasiveness.
Rhetorical questions have been used by humanity since the first oral tales appeared. In Russian speech they are organically woven into artistic text, everyday speech, political manifestos and policy statements. Posing a rhetorical question allows one to avoid explanations in cases where reference to well-known facts and phenomena is possible.
This technique shifts the attention of listeners (or readers) to things that are perceived automatically and thus encourages them to accept the speaker’s position without analyzing the meaning of his statement.
Examples of rhetorical questions
In Russian literature there are many examples of rhetorical expressions both in prose and in poetic form. They are also used in everyday life. Examples that we all encounter every day:
- when will this trolleybus arrive? (the expression implies that the trolleybus is late and violates the schedule, which is obvious to everyone standing at the stop);
- who stole the sausage from the plate? (expresses the owner’s indignation at the mischievous cat, since the cat is not able to respond);
- How long can you tolerate this? (exclamation means that it is impossible and unnecessary to endure what is happening any longer).
Here are examples literary use rhetorical question and exclamation:
Oh, how my heart yearns!
Am I waiting for the hour of death? (Anna Akhmatova)
IN in this case the poet, obviously, does not seek to die, but expresses his languor and confusion, dissatisfaction with the current circumstances. Shakespeare, Griboyedov, Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol and other writers liked to use rhetorical questions. A lot of rhetorical questions are found in religious texts. They're full of them New Testament, Gospels, descriptions of the acts of the apostles. In historical texts such figures of speech helped to make the story as vivid and understandable as possible for the reader.
If a rhetorical question is asked to a real person, then it does not require an answer, but rather tacit consent or confirmation. However, rhetorical questions are also often addressed not to those present, but to some imaginary interlocutor. This could be a natural phenomenon, society as a whole, government, global community. In everyday life and everyday life, rhetorical questions are often asked of animals or objects.
Types of rhetorical questions
Rhetorical questions can be divided into four types:
- interrogative and rhetorical questions that clearly convey feelings;
- interrogative and motivating, inviting to action;
- interrogative-negative, asserting the impossibility of an action or event;
- interrogative-affirmative, expressing confidence in something.
In general, questions are one of the most common constructions in human speech. Rhetorical questions, as is clear from the above, serve to convey the views of the speaker, clarify his position, attitude to the topic under discussion and attract attention. They are one of the most expressive figures of speech.
A person who resorts to using rhetorical questions seeks to enhance the impression of his speech and add expressiveness. In this way, a phrase expressing a certain statement is emphasized. In the context of a conversation or narrative, the meaning of a phrase is a continuation of what has already been said or develops further. A rhetorical question can also serve as a way to draw a line under a monologue, to put an emotional “full stop at the end of the line.”